[L5R] Murder at the Lantern Castle: Background, NPC's and Advice

 

Map of the Lantern Castle or "Vartiolyhdyn linnake" in Finnish. Made with Wonderdraft. 

 

Monday's adventure seed was actually my current campaign's first adventure. Our player characters were accompanied by the various members of the conspiracy, which gave them a personal stake in the events

See Monday's post for the Challenge/Focus/Strike for this adventure.

Running this adventure

• In my game the players each received two Downtime Actions each day and a third if they wanted to act during the night (with a Fitness check to see if they were Exhausted next day or not). Depending on what the player wanted to achieve, each Action could've been a separate scene, one or two rolls, or just a brief description of what happens. Strife and Fatigue reset in between days.

  We also had a loose calendar of courtly events, such as plays, hunting expedition, poetry recitations, duel tournaments, even a mock-battle which we played in free play or using the Intrigue, Duel and Mass Combat rules.

• My NPCs were mostly doing stuff behind the scenes, but occasionally I used "NPC interruptions" for when they sought out one or more of the PC's to roleplay a scene.

• I recommend that this adventure is one of the many things happening in the Court. For example, my players had to find rogue spirits, and try to achieve their Giris and Ninjos. Relevance of the conspiracy "grew" slowly: it began as a bunch of strange, half-heard meetings, accidentally hurtful choices of art, and other "coincidences" that the PC's witnessed while doing other stuff. Only later in the Winter Court this adventure grew in importance to be the main focus of our campaign 

• The fact this adventure involves samurai from so many different clans should be presented as a big twist around the midway of the adventure.

What did the commander do in my campaign?

Our game's target and villain was Akodo Ninsei, an esteemed and successful commander with a reputation for needless cruelty that even some of the Lion found inconvenient.

Twenty years before our adventure Akodo Ninsei had conquered a castle from a famous Crane duelist, the Gray Heron and taken his family hostage. The Heron had been away in Otosan Uchi during the attack, and now had to stay in the capital to try free his family through diplomacy and imperial intervention, while his troops kept the castle under siege.

The Emperor eventually declared that the matter would be settled with a duel: the Gray Heron against Ninsei younger brother, Akodo Hiro. While the duel was only for first blood, Ninsei sent a secret message to Heron, claiming that and "accident" would happen to his family unless he dies in the duel.

Meanwhile in the castle, Ninsei claims honor and tradition forbids him from releasing his hostages, but he encourages them to escape during the night through a gap in the patrol routes. Naturally he has no intention of honouring this, and Heron's family falls to Lion arrows upon reaching the outer courtyard.

In the aftermath, Crane decided to cut their losses while Lion's courtiers managed to hide Ninsei's dishonorable actions to happenstance and regrettable, but inevitable chaos of conflict. Those affected and hurt by the events were left to nurse their grudges in silence - as is the way of the samurai.

 

How the conspiracy plots to hurt Ninsei

It's not enough for the conspirators just to kill Ninsei. They want to enrage and humiliate him, expose his guilt and dishonorable actions to the court, and then kill him in a way that makes it impossible to implicate just one person.

Killing his reputation

Here's some examples on what the conspirators might to do expose Ninsei's crimes to the court:

• A courtier (Doji Aemi in my game) puts up a play (or joins another courtier's play), persuades the troupe to act out the events of the Gray Heron's demise.
• During the dueling tournament the conspirators agree on the two finalists in advance and try to make sure they win their other matches. In the final duel the two act out Hiro's and the Heron's duel (if there's a shugenja in attendance, one of them might even almost lethally wound themself).
• During a mock-battle one conspirator dresses as the Gray Heron or even Akodo Hiro, defeats another commander in a duel and salutes and/or challenges Ninsei, then disappears.
• A shugenja might summon illusions of the Gray Heron's ghost to haunt the castle.

 During Intrigues the group's goal is to inflict Strife on Ninsei and cause him to Unmask in ways that either showcase his brutal nature or admit to the accusations implied against him.

When Ninsei's reputation has been sullied (or the PC's have almost caught the group), they me on to the assassination:

If the conspiracy has been mostly successful, one of the group reveals their identity to Ninsei in a private letter, then tries to incite him to attack them during a gathering of the court or other public event. When this happens, every other member of the conspiracy rushes to defend them and slay Ninsei in the process. Then they together try to convince the court of the righteousness of their actions.

If the conspiracy has been less successful, the group will approach Ninsei during the night to kill him in his sleep. Each will "accidentally" leave something implicating to be found on the crime scene.

In both cases they hope that the Lion Clan cannot demand justice because doing so would offend too many Great Clans. 

--- 

The key characters of my version of the adventure:

Akodo Ninsei, the Retired Commander 

Stats: Venerable Provincial Daimyo (Core p. 315)

Demeanour: Wrathful (Fire +2, Air -2)

Ninjo: Finish his memoirs. 

Advantages&Disadvantages:

• Master Strategist
• Disdain for Compassion 

Background and Motive: As far as Ninsei is concerned, the events described above are ancient history. He has since retired from active command, having earned a cushy lordship position near the bustling Beiden Pass.

Ninsei is most concerned with finishing his memoirs before retiring to some monastery, remembered as one of the Lion's respected heroes.

Portraying Ninsei: At the start of the adventure Ninsei is sure of his position and doesn't expect danger: he's still fit enough to win a duel, and he's certain he can handle any shinobi who might try to take his life. He will present himself as calm, confident and even unsure on why there would be a plot against him.

As the attacks on his reputation build up, he grows more impatient, angry, and commandeering. His unmaskings are violent, explosive and aggressive.

Doji Aemi, the Esteemed Crane

Stats: Seasoned Courtier (Core p.313)

Demeanour: Numb (+1 Air/Water/Fire/Earth, -2 Void)

Ninjo: Assassinate Akodo Ninsei's reputation and then the man himself. 

Advantages&Disadvantages: 

• Kuge Lineage 
• Colorblind

Background and Motive: Doji Aemi was the Gray Heron's elder child, and the only known survivor of the family's massacre. Her clan has urged her to move past her trauma, not seeing enough political gain on pursuing it any further. Aemi has pretended to obey her clan's wish and visibly has become the perfect Crane: courteous, beautiful and precise.

Despite her flawless facade she hasn't been able to let go of her grudge. This winter, seeing her chance, she has cashed in every favour she has gathered, contacted other people hurt by Ninsei has hatched this plan for revenge.

Aemi knows that whether she succeeds or fails she will be punished by her clan. If the conspiracy is threatened, she is intends to take all responsibility and end her life rather than return to her old life.

Portraying Aemi: Aemi presents herself as the perfect Crane: courteous, demure, and always ready with the perfect gift or favour. She will offer her aid to the PC's and others disconnected to the conspiracy, helping with poetry, giving gifting advice. Her help is always spot on, but hidden with subtle jabs towards Ninsei.

When Aemi unmasks, her facade of perfect control shatters: she reveals how driven she is by her revenge.

Bayushi Taheiji, the Observant Scholar

Stats: Loyal Bushi with Trickster Template (Core p. 312)

Demeanour: Obnoxious (+2 Water, -2 Earth)

Ninjo: Help Doji Aemi. 

Advantages&Disadvantages: 

• True Love (Brotherly love towards Doji Aemi)
• Out of his Depths 

Background and Motive: Bayushi Taheiji was the Heron's younger child, believed dead and adopted by the Scorpion. He learned of his heritage only recently and sought out his sister Doji Aemi. Taheiji hasn't revealed his identity to her yet, nor the fact that he's more concerned for Aemi's wellbeing than revenge.

Portraying Taheiji: Taheiji is good at seeming like he knows more than he does, like he has the upper hand, like he's holding some hidden weapon right over your throat. He speaks little, allowing his opponent to speak themself to their grave.

When Taheiji unmasks, he reveals that he's a juggler trying to keep too many balls in the air. He speaks little, because he's not that elonguent with words. Ultimately he doesn't care about the conspiracy or hurting Ninsei, he just wants to save his sister. 

Mozu the Ronin (Akodo Hiro)

Stats: Skillful Ronin (Core p. 316)

Demeanour: Distant (+1 Earth/Fire, -2 Void)

Ninjo: Make Akodo Ninsei understand what he did to Mozu. 

Advantages&Disadvantages:

• Seasoned killer
• Jaded  

Background and Motive: Formerly Akodo Hiro, Ninsei's younger brother, was an aspiring duelist who greatly admired the Gray Heron. He was shocked by the Heron's death in the duel, and while something seemed off in the match, he was able to accept it as part of the risks of duelling. His victory over the older Crane won him great esteem and fame, and for some years he revelled in his success, but eventually he found out about the truth behind his victory: the Gray Heron had been coerced to lose.

This shattered Hiro's world: he fled his clan, abandoned his name and became the ronin Mozu. Aemi found Mozu through happenstance (or fate). While Mozu has since ceased believing in justice, he agreed to Aemi's plan due to some lingering sense of guilt - and for the chance to meet his uncle after so many years.

 Portraying Mozu: Mozu doesn't need to act: he has witnessed and done too much to believe in a samurai's honor. He's jaded, cynical and opportunistic: he wants to believe that even this conspiracy is just a way to get food and lodgings for the winter.

When Mozu unmasks his long-buried feelings rise up to the surface: he might reveal the shame he feels towards Ninsei's former actions, the grudge formed from the future he abandoned, or the guilt he feels towards Aemi. He might take drastic action if the plan advances too slowly for his tastes or show that the courageous and honorable Lion isn't completely dead - depending on how he's pushed. 

 

Other Conspirators 

These NPC's were not integral to the plot, but had close ties to my PCs. I recommend you add, remove or modify conspirators to suit your player party. In the best case scenario every PC knows someone involved in the conspiracy. They will provide avenues to find information and show a sympathetic side to the group that a traditional party will at first see as the clear villains.

 

Moto Khubilai, the Hopeful Wanderer

Stats: Loyal Bushi with Socialite Template (Core p. 312)

Demeanour: Emotional (Earth +2, Fire -2)

Advantages&Disadvantages: 

• Creative Problem-Solver 
• Gaijin Appearance

Background and Motive: Moto Khubilai had always been fascinated with Rokugan, and wanted to work towards integrating his clan to the other Great Clans. Khubilai worked as an Unicorn liaison and negotiator to Akodo Ninsei's retinue during the siege, and he was trapped in the castle when the Crane army set up their siege.

Khubilai spent great effort to ensure that the hostages were treated as well as their station demanded and that their and the Lion occupier's relations remained civil. As the siege went on and the hostages grew increasingly desperate in their imprisonment, Ninsei encouraged Khubilai to smuggle them out. It was Khubilai's sincere words that persuaded the Gray Heron's family to escape and it was Khubilai, who first realized the trap he had led them.

This incident soured Khubilai's reputation with both Lion and the Crane, and he was sent to preside over the Great Sand Road instead. Now Aemi has persuaded him to return and help her ruin Ninsei's reputation.

Yasuki Kako, the Cynical Merchant

Stats: Seasoned Courtier with the Sage Template (Core p. 313)

Demeanour: Ambitious (+2 Fire, -2 Water)

Advantages&Disadvantages: 

• Shrewd Merchant 
• Maimed Leg 

Background and Motive: Yasuki Kako worked as a messenger during Akodo Ninsei's siege. It was she who delivered Ninsei's veiled threat to the Gray Heron, as well as delivering the Emperor's decision back to the besieged castle.

Unfortunately Kako came to deliver the message during a particularly chaotic attack: a stray arrow hit her horse and her leg was permanently wounded. She blames Ninsei for shattering her hopes and dreams and now intends to make sure Ninsei never achieves his goals.

 

Isawa Kurumi, the Inquisitive Shugenja 

Stats: Scholarly Shugenja (Core p. 314)

Demeanour: Shrewd (+2 Air, -2 Fire)

Advantages&Disadvantages: 

• Analytical Mind
• Soft hearted

Background and Motive: Isawa Kurumi has no horse in this race. She's a fairly-skilled shugenja with a taste for playing politics, who befriended Doji Aemi in some earlier Winter Court.

Aemi won Kurumi's loyalty by performing some favours for her that are not relevant in this adventure. Her part of the conspiracy was to summon a snowstorm that forced the different groups of this adventure to spend the winter in the Lantern Castle - thus giving the group the time and privacy needed to execute their plan.

With her part done Kurumi is bored. She's not nearly as good in the court as she believes, so she could be the weak link that allows the PCs to learn more about what's happening.

When I ran this adventure my group was first asked to deal with three rogue spirits that had gotten loose in the castle. They only learned about the conspiracy when following various people they suspected of being possessed. Kurumi was more involved in that adventure and acted as a link between the two going-ons. 

 

[L5R] C/F/S: Murder at the Lantern Castle

Here's an adventure hook for the Legend of the Five Rings RPG. I ran this with the Fifth edition, though I guess it works with any edition.

My adventure took place in the Lantern Castle, a small Lion clan fortification guarding their end of the Beiden Pass, where the PC's and a colourful group of other people spent an impromptu Winter Court as they all got trapped in the pass due to bad weather and an unfortunate avalanche. (These conditions were actually engineered by the Conspiracy to isolate their target and to provide a plausible reason for every conspirator to be present.)

This adventure is basically Murder on the Orient Express - but in a samurai drama instead of a train! It's social and intrigue-heavy, so I recommend connecting both the conspirators and the target to the PC's to make this a more interesting dilemma than a simple Whodunnit.

 

[Play Report] Introduction to Red Markets & Year in Red campaign

 

Around 2017-2018 I ran a campaign of Red Markets, the economic horror game with zombies by Caleb Stokes of the RPPR fame. The game had a lot of ideas I found (and still find) interesting, and while I had some problems with the system, I also had a lot of fun with the campaign.

So far I’ve never picked up the system again, but now and again I spot it in my bookshelf and spend a while daydreaming about a potential second campaign.

Back when I was running the game, I used to write sort play summaries for the game’s Facebook group. Now I hear there’s a second edition on it’s way, so I’ll share these reports here with occasional commentary from the present me.

So, what is Red Markets?

Red Markets is a game of economic horror: it’s set in the near-future, there has been a (partial) zombie apocalypse - and your PC still has rent to pay.

In the publisher’s own words:

In Red Markets, characters risk their lives trading between the massive quarantine zones containing a zombie outbreak and the remains of civilization. They are Takers: mercenary entrepreneurs unwilling to accept their abandonment. Bound together into competing crews, each seeks to profit from mankind’s near-extinction before it claims them. They must hustle, scheme, and scam as hard as they fight if they hope to survive the competing factions and undead hordes the GM throws at them.
Takers that are quick, clever, or brutal enough might live to see retirement in a safe zone, but many discover too late that the cycle of poverty proves harder to escape than the hordes of undead.
Red Markets uses the traditional zombie genre to tell a story about surviving on the wrong end of the economy. It’s cut-throat capitalism with its knife on your neck. 

Source: Hebanon Games

Red Markets has been on my mind recently, because I have a growing interest in games with overt political messages. This game wants to be critical of modern Capitalism, but ultimately cannot imagine or offer an alternative to it. (The game actually supports the modern lie of lie of “anyone can make it big if they work hard enough”!) 

I have more on this thought, but I’ll save it for a later post.

The Year in Red Campaign

Back in 2017 I was finishing my thesis and actually had time to run more than one game simultaneously.

The campaign’s premise was simple: the Takers (game’s term for the PC party) learn that their community faces disaster after twelve months. They have one year to find the means and funds to abandon ship, hopefully to a better life than what they had now.

Each month the PC’s took on one Job and after maximum of twelve jobs they would either retire or perish with their enclave.

Clear end point both kept the Campaign’s scope from growing too big (as we were generally able to complete each Job within one session) and encouraged my players to balance out saving their money and using it to improve their PC’s.

I’ll share more in later posts, now lets move on to…

Session Zero

Yesterday we had the Session 0 of my campaign, Year in Red. We began with creating the Enclave our PC’s lived in and worked from: my players wanted to set their enclave somewhere urban, yet remote, and eventually we settled on a fortified casino in Las Vegas. Apparently the enclave is made up from people too stubborn to leave the Mojave Desert. (Yeah, I'm gonna take a lot of inspiration from Fallout: New Vegas.)

So far the enclave has managed to survive by trading high-grade alcohol and other luxuries looted from Sin City to other enclaves, but by the game's beginning the supply is about to run dry: the Takers reckon' their home has about a year before it collapses.

We are going to play for 12 sessions, each session being one month. The Taker's need to meet their retirement goals, or they will fall with their enclave.

So far our group has

• A doctor with Crusader sympathies. He actually made it to Recession, but jumped fence so he could study the Blight better. And be with his mostly-Latent family.
• An ex-scout soldier that still upholds the martial law. Secretly a Steward.
• A short-tempered Latent mostly here to kill Casualties.

(Commentary from 2025: Blight is the game’s name for the zombie virus, with Casualties referring to traditional slow zombies and Latents being infected people who were somehow able to retain their minds. Recession means the remaining US Government, while Stewards are its undercover agents. Crusaders are a group of medical professionals obsessed with studying the virus.)
Plus one player was absent, so he'll roll his character later.

We chose the Bust mode, but without most of the optional Bust-rules. (C2025: Meaning the more action-y game mode vs. Lethal and gritty.) As our group is mostly new to Red Markets, we'll play a session or two without No Budget, No Buy before giving it a try - we're intrigued by it, but we need to get a better feel for the system.

[Exalted 3e] Artifact: Handwraps of Telestic Might

 Here's the Third Edition rules, as promised. I have a distinct memory that this artifact felt somewhat undertuned for an essence 3-4 character, but it's been years since the campaign petered out and I haven't seen the need to retune it.

So, if you use this in your own game and make changes, please leave a comment and tell me what you did with it!

This is a 3-dot artifact, because its main function is to allow a brawler combo her brawl ability with performing sorcery. It has no “unique style” nor mechanics that seem to define 4 and higher dot artifacts.

Handwraps of Telestic Might

For the artifact's history and a longer introduction, see Monday's Essence version.

The Handwraps of Telestic Might are a set of two orichalchum embroidered rolls of fine silk. Wrapped around a brawler’s hands they attune the wielder's ki with the ethereal forces of Creation. Thus the artifact guides the Chosen's strikes along the currents of Essence, effectively turning the sorcerer's strikes into an elaborate shaping ritual. The Handwraps' delicate essence pathways are easily disturbed and thus the wielder may not use its evocations, if they are holding any other weapon. This includes weapons with the Unarmed-tag. The only exception to this rule is when the brawler uses an opponent she is grabbing as a weapon (and the sorcerer's own fists, of course).

Evocations of the Handwraps of Telestic Might

When the artifact is attuned for five motes, the wielder may add non-charm bonus dice equal to a relevant Intimacy to her Shape sorcery actions performed while engaged to an enemy.

Additionally, when the user is wearing the Handwraps, she gains access to the following Shaping Ritual:

 

The Handwraps of Telestic Might were made for a duel and their essence was permanently imprinted by the Sorceress of the Seven Hues’ fierce battle anima. Other users in later generations have only bolstered this history. Any time someone is challenged into a battle in the wielder’s presence, the wielder may draw power from the Handwraps by rolling (Dexterity+Occult) and generating that many motes. If the wielder herself gives the challenge, she may roll (Dexterity+Occult+Essence) instead. These motes last until the end of next battle the wielder participates in. What counts as a challenge is ultimately up to Storyteller’s discretion, but most verbal declarations of assault should count. For example, an ambush or a hostile encounter does not count as a challenge, but a slighted lord demanding satisfaction or a written declaration of war does. In borderline cases, the challengee can avoid confrontation by losing face or prostating herself.

The wielder may draw power from the Handwraps once per scene only, unless the challenge is given during a battle. If the wielder herself gives the challenge, she must face her opponent in battle, before she can challenge the same person again.

Attunement: 5m
Type: Light (as fists)
Tags: Worn, Brawl, Bashing
Heartstone slots: 2
Era: Era of Champions

Mystic’s Hands

Cost: 3m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Perilous, Resonant, Dissonant
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: None
 

A fighter’s body is a temple and the Handwraps reveal its mystic power.  When the wielder strikes, the Handwraps glow and weave sorcerous incantations in their wake.

This evocation allows the wielder to flurry Shape sorcery actions with Brawl and Martial Arts attacks. This flurried Shape sorcery action can only be used to begin and continue shaping the spell. The action to cast the spell cannot be flurried with this evocation. 

Resonant: The wielder may waive the normal flurry penalty.
Dissonant: The wielder may only flurry Shape sorcery with Brawl ability.
Special Activation: This evocation awakens at no cost, when the artifact is first attuned.

Power Gathering Strike

Cost: 4m Mins: Essence 1
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Dual, Dissonant
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Mystic’s Hands
 

Every move the brawler makes forms another word of sorcerous power into the Handwraps. When she harries the opponent, the Handwraps weave lyrics of a song that ends the fight. When she closes in for a killing strike, her hands form the crescendo of a spell being realized.

This evocation supplements an Unarmed withering or decisive attack. After a successful withering attack, but before rolling damage the wielder may transfer up to their (Wits+Occult) extra successes to her next Shape Sorcery roll. These dice reroll all 1s until they fail to appear.

When the wielder completes a successful decisive attack, she may immediately flurry a Shape Sorcery action (as if they had used Mystic’s Hands) and cast the spell, if they gather enough motes. The wielder’s martial prowess enhances the spell, so if the spell has an activation roll, she gains bonus dice equal to the highest wound penalty inflicted by the attack or her Essence, whichever is lower.

Dissonant: The wielder does not reroll 1s nor gains bonus dice to the activation roll.

Essence Preserving Battle-Meditation

Cost: 2i Mins: Essence 1
Type:  Supplemental
Keywords: None
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Mystic’s Hands
 

Sorcery is an art for the keen and the patient. When the fight lulls to a halt, the Handwraps cover the wielder and store any sorcerous energy that might dissipate.

This evocation allows the sorcerer to retain their sorcerous motes even if they did not perform a shape sorcery action this turn. Additionally, as long as the wielder has shaped at least half of the sorcerous motes required for her spell, she can add a fitting Intimacy to her Soak and Hardness.

 

Silk As Steel Approach

Cost: 8m, 1wp Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: None
Duration: One scene
Prerequisites: Power Gathering Strike
 

The wielder commits the charm’s cost and lets her energies empower the wraps, which weave into weapons sharp as a wood dragon's claws and hard as bronze. Using this evocation turns the wraps into an equivalent of artifact Slayer Khatars or Smash fists (the type must be chosen when the Evocation is purchased) for as long as the motes remain committed. When this evocation is active, the wielder may waive the cost of the Mystic’s Hands evocation.

Rival-Constricting Vines

Cost: 5m Mins: Essence 2
Type: Supplemental
Keywords: Perilous, Decisive-only, Resonant
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Power Gathering Strike
 

This evocation supplements a decisive Grapple gambit. When the wielder grapples a sorcerer, the handwraps spring into life and slither to constrict the enemy mage. If the grapple is successful, the wielder may reflexively roll a (Wits+Occult) to counterspell any spell the target had been shaping. She may take the leeched sorcerous motes to power a spell of her own or convert them into bonus dice for the roll to establish grapple duration. If the wielder succeeds to completely negate the spell or if the spell otherwise fails during the grapple, the wielder gains 2 points of temporary Willpower. If the opponent still has motes left after the initial roll, the wielder may counterspell as her grapple action without reactivating this charm until the grapple ends.

Resonant: When using this evocation, the wielder can counterspell like she knew the target spell as long as they are initiated into the spell’s Circle. If the wielder also knows the target spell, she gains one automatic success to the roll.

 

Wisdom Bestowing Rapport

Cost: - Mins: Essence 2
Type: Simple
Keywords: Dissonant, Resonant
Duration: Permanent
Prerequisites: Essence Preserving Battle-Meditation
 

The Handwraps have had many wielders and each has left a part of herself into the wrap's embroidery. As the wielder's bond with the artifact deepens, she may study the orichalchum embroidery to learn its mystical secrets. This evocation allows the wielder to learn one spell for no xp cost as long as the sorcerer meets its prerequisites. This spell can be cast only when the caster is attuned to and is wearing the Bandages.

If the sorcerer later pays the experience cost to learn the spell, they may use this Evocation to pick a new one.

Special Activation: This Evocation awakens at no cost, when the wielder supports a Major or Defining Intimacy by defeating a sorcerous enemy.

Resonant: The spell granted by this evocation may be picked as an additional Control spell. If the wielder gains another spell via this Evocation, she may choose which she keeps as a Control spell. This switch can be done only, when picking a spell via this evocation.

Dissonant: Those dissonant with the artifact may not awaken this Evocation.

Delayed Casting Method

Cost: 8m, 1wp Mins: Essence 3
Type: Simple
Keywords: Perilous, Dissonant
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisites: Essence Preserving Battle-Meditation, Rival-Constricting Vines


This evocation allows the wielder to store a Terrestial Circle spell that only affects the caster into the Handwraps. The Spell may then be reflexively cast by paying the charm’s mote cost. Mind that the wielder must also pay the one point of willpower for beginning the shaping action. Effectively, when the wielder uses this evocation to store the spell, they pay two points of Willpower and regain one point when releasing the spell. At essence 4 the wielder may use this evocation to store Celestial Circle spells. Spells that have a potential to target characters other than the wielder can be stored, but when manifested affect only the wielder. (For example, if the wielder uses this evocation to cast Stormwind Rider, the spell will manifest around her - all others must use an action to hop aboard. Technically one could store an offensive spell, like the Death of Obsidian Butterflies, into the Handwraps, if they designate themselves as the only target.)

Dissonant: The wielder does not regain the point of willpower for casting a spell, when the spell is released.

Puissant Magic Armour

Cost: 5m, (1wp) Mins: Essence 3
Type: Reflexive
Keywords: Dual
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Silk as Steel Approach, Essence Preserving Battle-Mediation

 
The Handwraps move instinctively to protect their owner. When hit by a withering attack the wielder may exchange three sorcerous motes to increase her evasion by one (up to their Essence).

When hit by a decisive attack the wielder may pay a point of Willpower to immediately perform a Shape Sorcery action. If this roll enables the wielder to complete a spell, she may cast it against her opponent as a clash action. If she cannot generate enough motes or if she chooses not to cast the spell, but has conjured at least half of the sorcerous motes required, the sorcerous energy is expelled violently to hurl the wielder one range band away from the opponent. If the wielder could have cast the spell and decides not to, she is hurled two range bands instead. (The wielder is still hit by the original attack.) The sorcerous motes are expended when this happens.

Unity Restoring Sacrifice

Cost: 12m, 2wp Mins: Essence 4
Type: Simple
Keywords: -
Duration: Instant
Prerequisites: Wisdom Bestowing Rapport, Delayed Casting Method 


The Handwraps remember being part of a larger whole and yearn to return to their original home. This evocation can be used to reweave the Handwraps into the Grand Tapestry of Argent Soul and thus complete the Weaver’s magnum opus.  The Handwraps of Telestic Might effectively cease to exist as their essence merges with the Tapestry's grand weaving.


The effects of completing the Grand Tapestry should be up to the Storyteller's and player's discretion. The Tapestry itself is an NA artifact woven with all known magical materials (and few unknown ones) by a powerful First Age enchantress. Making it whole could grant the Tapestry's new evocations to the wielder or produce any thematically appropriate effect roughly equivalent to a Solar circle Sorcerous Working. Themes such as making whole something unfinished or rent apart, spreading sorcerous lore through Creation, or protecting something dear through self-sacrifice are part of the Tapestry's story.

If a non-solar wielder is able to invoke this evocation, the Tapestry's completion permanently elevates her essence, essentially granting her the ability to wield sorcery one Circle higher than usual.


Special Activation: This evocation cannot be bought. The wielder has to go on a quest to find the Grand Tapestry of Argent Soul. The Evocation will awaken at no cost at the end of the story the Tapestry is found. When the evocation is used, the wielder may use the experience points she has invested in the Handwraps to buy evocations of the Grand Tapestry. If the Tapestry has no evocations in your story or it is used to complete a Sorcerous Working, the spent experience points are returned to the wielder. 


Designer’s Note: I like artifacts that tell a story or are an integral part of one, so I designed the Capstone with that in mind. I felt that the rest of the evocations already fill this artifact’s theme and function, so making some kind of special attack would be superfluous - sorcery is already flashy as heck! There’s no need to underline it further with a flashy capstone. (Tho I’m tempted to design some kind of spellstrike attack as an alternative.)

So, this capstone is probably a disappointment to some and undeniably cool for others. I intentionally left its exact effects vague, so an ST can tailor it to fit her campaign and the wielder’s character arc.

And if you want a more traditional capstone, you can always rule that the tapestry turns into even bigger handwraps that have even better evocations.